Consumer electronics with flip covers, such as portable computer, electronic dictionary, portable audio/video player, flip mobile phone, generally have a main body on the bottom, which is pivotally connected to the cover body on the top with a hinge structure (or called rotating axle), such that the cover body may swing open or close with respect to the main body. Therefore, the rotating axle is key to the quality of the products described above.
“TRIPPING-PREVENTION HINGE STRUCTURE,” as shown in FIG. 2, is invented by the applicant and disclosed in the ROC Patent M289875 on Apr. 21, 2006 (equivalent to that disclosed in China Patent 200520142261.3). In the patent, the lower bending plate 201 of the collar 20 is engaged onto the annular groove 102 of the axle 10 to prevent them from disconnecting. Also, after the axle rod 111 of the axle 10 is insertingly connected onto the collar 20, both of them are embeddingly engaged with the axle hole 301 of the axle receiver 30, so as to render the axle 10 rotating with respect to the axle receiver 30 and in turn generating frictional torque.
Although the conventional rotating axle structure can prevent the axle 10 and the collar 20 from disconnecting, when the space for the structure is restricted, in the case of adopting thin design, the thickness of the axle receiver 30 is limited and thus its external is needed to form an axial opening to expose part of the collar 20. Consequently, the design of structure has to take into account in preventing the collar 20 from disconnecting with the axle receiver 30; moreover, the frictional torque the rotating axle demanded has to be further strengthened. These drawbacks demand urgent attention.